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Outstanding Achievement: Mairi Hedderwick

We are delighted to announce the winner of our inaugural Scottish Book Trust Outstanding Achievement Award, Mairi Hedderwick!

As the writer and illustrator of the phenomenally popular Katie Morag series, Mairi's work has enchanted children in Scotland since the first story was published in 1984. Since then, the Katie Morag stories have continued their national success, while also reaching international audiences with popular translated editions including Norwegian, Swedish and Chinese.

Speaking on the decision to honour Mairi Hedderwick, Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust and chair of our judging panel, said:

'While the work produced by the greatest children’s authors and illustrators is marvellously individual and diverse, one thing unites them all - their ability to capture and express, in ways deep, eternal and true, what childhood feels and looks like. The Katie Morag books are timeless because of this joyful, life-affirming quality. In the hands of a master artist and storyteller like Mairi, it shines through on every page and in so doing, illuminates us.'

At our awards reception, Peggy Hughes, Chair of Literature Alliance Scotland, spoke about the impact of Katie Morag as a character:

'With the arrival of Katie Morag in Katie Delivers the Mail in 1984 to her Cbeebies TV debut in 2013 and subsequent stratospheric fame, Mairi Hedderwick has put the fictional isle of Struay on the map and gifted us an iconic heroine: in her black wellingtons and kilt this spirited and thrawn and curious girl shows other girls and boys what girls can be.'

Inspire your pupils

Our resources can help your pupils discover the joy of reading through the Katie Morag books:

During Book Week Scotland 2013, Mairi Hedderwick joined us for a BBC Authors Live broadcast which thousands of children tuned in to watch live. You can watch this on demand to hear Mairi read one of the Katie Morag stories and discover more about her inspiration.